“When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” (Matthew 26:1–5 (ESV)
The phrase “When Jesus had finished all these sayings” immediately follows all the five discourses in Matthew’s Gospel (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1). This fifth and final statement transitions into the final days of the Lord Jesus’ Passion Week.
“The Savior has already told His disciples three times that He will die and be raised (Matt.16:21; 17:22–23; 20:17–19), but in today’s passage He explains for the first time that this will take place during Passover. This provides a theological framework for understanding the significance of the Messiah’s death. Just as the angel of death passed over all of those who were covered by the blood of the lamb (Ex. 12), so too will the blood of the Lamb “slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8, NKJV) shield those whom it covers from eternal destruction,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
Two main perspectives dominate today’s text. They are God’s providence, or purposeful sovereignty, contrasted by the plot by sinful and fallen men. The former will always supersede the latter. The Lord used the latter in order to accomplish the former; His sovereign will (Acts 2:22-24). God’s control is always greater than man’s confident collusion.
Jesus’ statement to His disciples unveiled not only His omniscient knowledge of future circumstances, but also of the Old Testament Scriptures (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). By saying, ““You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified,” Jesus acknowledged He, along with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, was in complete control of His circumstances.
Jesus would pray a few days later this prayer to the Father. “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:2–5 (ESV)
The fallen world bristles at such sovereign control by God. Even some believers in Christ struggle relinquishing their presumed authority, even when we truly have very little control over our circumstances. The idea humanity does not determine their own destiny is repugnant to the culture. However, we are not the master of our fate and the captain of our souls.
Pastor Michael Reeves explains, “Perhaps this is why Christians have so little joy, are anemic in prayer and enslaved by their sins. This idea (God’s providence and sovereignty) is hard to stomach in a culture sauced in Hollywood goo.”
We witness in the crucifixion God causing all things to work together for good (Romans 8:28). In other words, what the chief priests and elders meant for evil, God meant for good (Genesis 50:20).
“According to Matthew, Caiaphas is the high priest under whom this will happen (Matt. 26:3), but Luke tells us that Annas is also high priest at this time (Luke 3:1–2; Acts 4:5–6). In AD 15, Rome deposed Annas from the high priesthood, later replacing him with his son-in-law, Caiaphas. Yet Annas continued to wield power behind the scenes, almost like a “co-high priest” with Caiaphas,” explains one commentator.
“Caiaphas and the others want to kill Jesus because the messianic clamor His presence creates might draw the ire of Rome, but they want to postpone His execution lest it provoke the people to rebel against the priests for murdering God’s Messiah,” But the Almighty has other plans, and in His sovereignty He will bring about Jesus’ predicted death during the Passover,” explains Dr. Sproul.
“The Creator’s providence,” John Calvin says, “will ensure that events turn out exactly as He has planned.”
Soli deo Gloria!
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